Recipe courtesy of Zac Young

Peach Sticky Buns

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  • Level: Easy
  • Total: 3 hr
  • Active: 45 min
  • Yield: 9 large sticky buns
Breakfast, snack, dessert—when is a sticky bun NOT good? The rich dough for these buns gets extra softness from cream cheese, and it’s so easy to make: Almost no kneading is required. Juicy peaches are the perfect addition to these gooey, caramel-coated pastries. Since they rise in a cast-iron skillet, these can also be “baked” on your grill once you’re done grilling the burgers. Just keep the grill temperature at an even 375(ish) degrees F and bake as directed!

Ingredients

Dough:

Smear and Filling:

Directions

  1. For the dough: Spray a medium bowl with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the lukewarm water, granulated sugar and yeast until dissolved. Add the egg yolks, butter and cream cheese, then whisk to combine. Add the salt and 2 cups of the flour and stir to combine. Add 1 more cup of the flour and stir until the dough comes together in a rough ball, adding the remaining flour 1 tablespoon at a time as needed.  
  3. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead briefly; the dough does not have to be totally smooth. Place the dough in the prepared bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour. 
  4. For the smear and filling: In a second medium bowl, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, vinegar and salt until smooth. Set aside.  
  5. In a third medium bowl, toss the peaches with the flour and set aside. 
  6. Lightly spray a 9-inch cast-iron skillet with cooking spray. Spread 3/4 cup of the smear on the bottom of the skillet and then scatter 1 1/2 cups of the peaches on top. 
  7. When the dough is doubled, gently deflate and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Press the dough into a 15-by-8-inch rectangle. Using an offset spatula, spread the remaining 1/2 cup of the smear on top, then scatter the remaining 1/2 cup of peaches on top.  
  8. Working from the shorter end, roll the dough into a tight log. Cut the dough into nine 1 1/2-inch-long pieces and arrange in the prepared skillet. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray and let rise until puffy, about 20 minutes. 
  9. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and line it with aluminum foil to prevent the sticky caramel from spilling over from the pan and burning on the bottom of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  
  10. When the dough is puffy, remove the plastic. Bake the buns until they are lightly golden on top and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a bun registers 180 degrees F, 25 to 35 minutes. 
  11. Remove the skillet from the oven and let the buns cool 15 minutes. Place a serving platter upside-down on top of the skillet. Protecting your hands with oven mitts, grasp the skillet and platter and flip both in one motion so the platter is on the bottom. Gently lift the skillet straight up, letting the buns release in one piece. Serve warm for breakfast or as a snack, or with vanilla ice cream as a dessert.